The internet has grown to be the place for communication, socialization and study for the majority of the school age children in the United States. Along with the explosive legitimate use of the internet a dark, even criminal side, has also developed. The communication across networked computers has included teasing harassment and predatory behavior. The anonymity provided by the internet has emboldened those who misuse the internet to escalate the practice and the boldness of such attacks. Harassment over the internet often called cyber bullying has taken on many different forms. In some cases the attacks may start as teasing that escalates out of hand. In some cases the attacks have resulted in serious psychological harm. Cyber bullying has been attributed as a main cause in a few cases of young adult suicides.
In addition to cyber bullying, sexual solicitation using the anonymity of the internet is also common. A 1999 U.S. Congressionally sponsored study of children's use of the internet conducted through the University of New Hampshire has found that:                Approximately one in five children have received a sexual solicitation or approach over the Internet in the last year.        One in seventeen was threatened or harassed.        Less than 10% of sexual solicitations and only 3% of unwanted exposure episodes were reported to authorities such as a law enforcement agency an Internet service provider or a hotline. About one quarter of the youth who encountered a sexual solicitation or approach told a parent.(Source: Finkelhor, David; Mitchell, Kimberly J.; Wolak, Janis. Online Victimization: A report on the Nation's Youth. University of New Hampshire's Crimes Against Children Research Center, June 2000, Incorporated by reference).        
There are a few internet resources for reporting harassment such as the CyberTipline (www.cybertipline.com, visited Mar. 2, 2008). However these resources are frequently not known as the study referenced above indicates and are not automated requiring extraordinary action on the part of the computer user.
There is a need for a simple, quick and easy to use method for a user to report online harassment. There is a need for a system that would allow the user to report the harassment both anonymously to encourage more reporting and not anonymously to seek help in dealing with the situation. There is a need for a resource to allow a user to report the details of an event immediately after or even while the event is happening. There is a need for a resource that will allow parents and authorities to gather information, evidence and statistics on the prevalence of online harassment and abuse of computer users.